List of Canadian plants by family U–W facts for kids

This article is about some of the amazing plant families you can find in Canada, specifically those whose scientific names start with the letters U, V, and W. Plants are grouped into families because they share similar features, just like you might be part of a human family!

Main page: List of Canadian plants by family

Families: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I J K | L | M | N | O | P Q | R | S | T | U V W | X Y Z

The Elm Family: Ulmaceae

The Ulmaceae family is mostly known for its beautiful elm trees. These trees are often tall and strong, providing shade and homes for many animals. They are an important part of Canada's forests and urban landscapes.

What are Elm Trees Like?

Elm trees are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves in the fall. They have distinctive leaves with jagged edges and a rough texture. Their seeds are often disc-shaped with a papery wing, which helps them float away on the wind.

Types of Elms in Canada

In Canada, you can find several types of elms. The American elm is one of the most famous. It's known for its graceful, vase-like shape. Other types include the slippery elm and the rock elm. These trees are important for the environment and for wildlife.

The Nettle Family: Urticaceae

The Urticaceae family is quite interesting! It includes plants like the stinging nettle, which many people know because of its tiny, irritating hairs. But not all plants in this family sting!

Stinging Nettles and Their Tricks

The stinging nettle has tiny hairs on its stems and leaves. These hairs act like tiny needles, injecting a chemical that can cause a temporary rash or itch when touched. This is the plant's way of protecting itself from animals that might want to eat it.

Other Plants in the Nettle Family

Besides the stinging nettle, this family also includes plants like the Canada wood-nettle and various types of clearweed. These plants are often found in moist, shady areas. They play a role in their ecosystems, providing food for some insects and helping to hold soil in place.

The Valerian Family: Valerianaceae

The Valerianaceae family is known for its flowering plants, many of which have small, often fragrant, flowers. Some plants in this family have been used for centuries in traditional medicine.

What are Valerians Like?

Plants in the Valerian family often have clusters of small flowers that can be white, pink, or purple. They grow in various habitats, from woodlands to marshy areas. Many species have a distinctive scent, especially their roots.

Valerians in Canada

Canada is home to several types of valerian, such as Sitka valerian and hairy valerian. You can also find plants like goosefoot cornsalad in this family. These plants add to the biodiversity of Canadian landscapes.

The Vervain Family: Verbenaceae

The Verbenaceae family includes many plants known for their colorful flowers and often square stems. Many of these plants are popular in gardens, but they also grow wild in Canada.

Characteristics of Vervains

Vervain plants often have small flowers arranged in spikes or clusters. Their leaves can be simple or deeply lobed. Many species are known to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies, making them important for local ecosystems.

Common Vervains in Canada

Some common vervains found in Canada include blue vervain and white vervain. You might also spot Dakota vervain or fog-fruit. These plants add beauty and support wildlife in various Canadian habitats.

The Violet Family: Violaceae

The Violaceae family is famous for its charming violets and pansies. These plants are loved for their delicate, often colorful flowers and their ability to grow in many different environments.

What Makes Violets Special?

Violets are easily recognized by their unique flower shape, which often has five petals, with the lowest petal usually having a "spur" at the back. Their flowers come in many colors, including purple, blue, white, and yellow. Many violets also have heart-shaped leaves.

Violets Across Canada

Canada is home to a huge variety of violets. You can find the Canada violet, marsh blue violet, and downy yellow violet. Some, like the bird's-foot violet, have very distinct leaf shapes. Violets are important early spring flowers, providing nectar for insects.

The Mistletoe Family: Viscaceae

The Viscaceae family is unique because its members are mostly parasitic plants. This means they grow on other plants, getting their water and nutrients from their host.

How Mistletoes Live

Mistletoes attach themselves to trees or shrubs using special roots called haustoria. These roots grow into the host plant's tissues to absorb what they need. While they get some resources from their host, many mistletoes can also perform photosynthesis, making some of their own food.

Dwarf Mistletoes in Canada

In Canada, you'll find several types of dwarf mistletoe. These tiny plants often grow on conifer trees like pines, spruces, and firs. They can sometimes affect the growth of their host trees, but they are also a food source for some animals.

The Grape Family: Vitaceae

The Vitaceae family is best known for grapes! This family includes many climbing plants, or vines, that produce berries.

How Grape Vines Grow

Plants in the grape family are often woody vines that use tendrils to climb up other plants or structures. Tendrils are like little curly "arms" that wrap around things to help the vine support itself as it grows towards the sunlight.

Grapes and Creepers in Canada

In Canada, you can find wild grape species like riverbank grape and northern fox grape. These wild grapes are an important food source for birds and other wildlife. The family also includes Virginia creeper, a common vine known for its five-part leaves that turn bright red in the fall.

The Woodsia Family: Woodsiaceae

The Woodsiaceae family is a group of ferns. Ferns are ancient plants that reproduce using spores instead of seeds. They are known for their beautiful, often feathery leaves called fronds.

What are Ferns Like?

Ferns typically grow in moist, shady environments, like forests or near streams. Their fronds unroll in the spring, often looking like a coiled "fiddlehead." They don't have flowers or seeds; instead, they produce tiny spores, usually on the underside of their fronds, to create new plants.

Ferns of Canada

This family includes many types of ferns found across Canada. You might see the lady fern with its delicate fronds, or the fragile fern which gets its name from its brittle stems. Northern woodsia and northern oak fern are also common members of this family, adding to the lush greenery of Canadian woodlands.